Gemstones - What are they?

Agate: dendrite, purple lace agate, crazy agate, moss agate...
Family: Chalcedony
Deposits : Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Madagascar, Mexico, Uruguay, India, Morocco, New Zealand, Namibia, United States
Transparency: Translucent or opaque
Color: Almost all colors
Hardness (Mohs scale): Between 6.5 and 7
Find out more aboutagate? See our technical data sheet.

Aquamarine
Family: Beryls
Deposit : Afghanistan, Brazil, Madagascar, Pakistan, Siberia, India
Clarity: Transparent, translucent.
Color: Very light blue, deep light blue, water green
Hardness: Between 7.5 and 8
More aboutaquamarine? See our technical data sheet.

Amazonite
Family: Feldspars
Deposit : Brazil, India, Madagascar, Russia, South Africa, United States
Transparency: Opaque to translucent
Color: Pale greenish blue to light turquoise
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5
More aboutamazonite? Consult our technical data sheet.

Amethyst
Family: Quartz
Occurrence : Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Uruguay, Africa
Clarity: Transparent
Color: Violet, ranging from pale to deep violet
Hardness: 7
More aboutamethyst? See our technical data sheet.

Ametrine (mixture of citrine and amethyst)
Family: Quartz
Deposit : Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka
Transparency: Clear
Color: yellow and violet
Hardness: 7

Anhydrite
Family: Evaporites
Deposit: Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Libya, Mexico, Peru, Poland, United Kingdom
Transparency: transparent to translucent, sometimes opaque
Color: light to dark blue
Hardness: between 3 and 3.5

Apatite
Family: Apatite
Deposit : Burma, Brazil, India, Madagascar, United States
Transparency: Transparent, translucent
Color: Blue, yellow, colorless, violet, pink, green, gray
Hardness: 5

Aventurine
Family: Quartz
Occurrence: Brazil, India, Russia
Transparency: Translucent to opaque
Color: Light green, green-brown, golden green-brown, blue
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7
Find out more aboutaventurine? See our technical data sheet.

Azurite malachite
Family: Azurite
Deposit : Australia, Arizona, Brazil, Chile, Congo, France, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Rhodesia, Russia, United States, Zaire
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Light blue, midnight blue (even violet), pale to dark green.
Hardness: Between 3.5 and 4

Bronzite
Family: Pyroxenes
Occurrence: South Africa, Burma, Madagascar, Sri Lanka
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Yellow to brown with golden flakes
Hardness: 5.5

Yellow calcite
Family: Carbonate
Deposit: Throughout the world
Transparency: Transparent to opaque
Color: From pale yellow to golden yellow to orange-yellow
Hardness: 3

Chrysocolla
Family: Chrysocolla
Deposits: United States, Chile, Peru, Russia, Zaire, India
Transparency: Opaque, sometimes translucent
Color: Turquoise blue, green
Hardness: Between 2 and 4

Chrysoprase
Family: Chalcedony
Occurrence: South Africa, Australia, United States, India, Madagascar, Russia
Clarity: Translucent, opaque
Color: Variety of green hues, ranging from light green through apple green to deep green.
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7

Citrine
Family: Quartz
Deposit : Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Uruguay
Transparency: Transparent
Color: Yellow, ranging from pale yellow to golden yellow to orange-brown
Hardness: 7

Carnelian
Family: Chalcedony
Occurrence: Brazil, India, Madagascar, Uruguay
Transparency: Translucent or opaque
Color: Light pink, orange, vermilion red, reddish brown
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7
Find out more about carnelian? See our technical data sheet.

Rock crystal
Family: Quartz
Occurrence: Throughout the world
Transparency: Transparent
Color: Colorless
Hardness: 7

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Fluorite
Family: Fluorite
Deposit: Throughout the world
Transparency: Transparent
Color: All colors
Hardness: 4

Azurite granite (or K2 jasper)
Family: Carbonate
Deposit: Mount K2 in the Himalayas, near the Sino-Pakistan border
Transparency: Opaque
Color: White speckled with blue and brown
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7

Garnet
Family: Garnet
Occurrence : Austria, Afghanistan, Brazil, Czech Republic, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar
Transparency: Transparent, translucent, opaque
Color: Red, brown, sometimes purplish
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7

Hematite
Family: Oxides
Deposits: England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, United States, France, Italy, Norway, Canada
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Gray and black, metallic luster
Hardness: Between 5.5 and 6.5

Howlite
Family: Howlite
Deposits : Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, United States
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Pale yellow, white, pale green, gray
Hardness: 4

Iolite
Family: Cordierite
Deposit : Burma, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka
Transparency: Transparent
Color: Blue, mauve, deep violet, beige-brown
Hardness: Between 7 and 7.5

Jade
Family: Jade
Deposit : Burma, Canada, China, United States, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, India
Transparency: Opaque to translucent
Color: Green, beige-brown, blue-brown, reddish-brown, blackish, sometimes purplish or pink
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7

Jasper
Family: Chalcedony
Deposit : Germany, Brazil, United States, France, India, Madagascar, Russia, Namibia, Mexico, Peru, Africa
Transparency: Opaque
Color: All colors
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7
Learn more about jasper? See our technical data sheet.

Kunzite
Family: Spodic
Deposit : Afghanistan, Burma, Brazil, Madagascar, Pakistan, United States
Transparency: Transparent
Color: Pale pink to purplish pink
Hardness: Between 6 and 7

Labradorite
Family: Feldspars
Deposit : Australia, Canada, France, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Transparency: Transparent to opaque
Color: Blue, green and gray. Sometimes with mirror effects
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5
Find out more about labradorite? See our technical data sheet.

Lapis lazuli
Family: Feldspathoid
Deposits : Afghanistan, USA, Canada, Chile, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Indigo blue, ultramarine blue. Sometimes speckled with gold or white
Hardness: Between 5 and 6
Find out more about lapis lazuli? See our technical data sheet.

Larimar
Family: Pectolites
Deposits: Italy, Santo Domingo Island
Clarity: Transparent to opaque
Color: Sky-blue veined with white
Hardness: Between 4.5 and 7

Lepidolite
Family: Micas
Deposit : Brazil, Canada, India, Madagascar, Norway, Tabnzania, United States, Zimbabwe
Clarity: Transparent to translucent, vitreous luster
Color: pink-gray, lilac to purple or purplish
Hardness: between 2 and 2.5

Malachite
Family: Malachite
Deposits : Australia, Brazil, Chile, Republic of Congo, France, Israel, Rhodesia, Russia, United States, Zaire
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Pale to very dark green
Hardness: Between 3.5 and 4
Want to know more about malachite? Consult our technical data sheet.

Morganite
Family: Beryls
Deposit : Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rhodesia, United States
Transparency: Transparent, translucent, opaque, even stony
Color: Pale to deep pink, mauve, bright red
Hardness: Between 7.5 and 8

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Obsidian: mahogany obsidian, speckled obsidian
Family: Obsidian
Occurrence: Armenia, United States, Japan, Iceland, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Russia
Clarity: Translucent to opaque
Color: Mahogany brown, gray, black
Hardness: Between 5 and 5.5

Tiger's eye
Family: Quartz
Occurrence : Australia, Burma, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Russia, South Africa, United States
Transparency: Translucent to opaque
Color: Brown, golden yellow
Hardness: 7
Learn more abouttiger's eye? Consult our technical data sheet.

Onyx
Family: Calcedony
Occurrence : Brazil, United States, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Uruguay, Uruguay
Color: Black with black and white strata
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7

Pink opal
Family: Quartz
Deposit: Australia, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Peru, United States
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Very pale pink, almost white, to candy pink
Hardness: Between 5.5 and 6.5

Peridot
Family: Olivine
Occurrence : South Africa, Australia, Burma, Brazil, Norway, Zaire, United States, China, Sri Lanka
Transparency: Transparent
Color: From greenish yellow to brownish green
Hardness: Between 6.5 and 7

Lava stone
Family: Volcanic rock
Deposit: In volcanic regions
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Brown, gray, black
Hardness: Between 5 and 5.5

Moonstone
Family: Feldspars
Occurrence: Australia, Burma, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United States
Transparency: Transparent, translucent, opaque
Color: White, with white, bluish or yellow highlights
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5
Learn more about moonstone? See our technical data sheet.

Sunstone (or heliolite)
Family: Feldspars
Occurrence: Canada, India, Norway, Russia, United States, China, Russia
Transparency: Milky to translucent, even opaque if too many inclusions
Color: Brown, orange, red
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5

Pietersite
Family: Quartz
Occurrence: South Africa, China, Namibia
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Blue, yellow, orange, brown, brown
Hardness: 7

Prehnite
Family: Phrenite
Occurrence: South Africa, Germany, United States, France, India, Italy, Switzerland, Namibia, Mali
Transparency: Translucent to transparent
Color: Pale green, yellow green, burnt yellow, colorless, gray, orange, blue, white
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5

Pyrite (or marcasite)
Family: Pyrite (or marcasite)
Deposits: Spain, Italy, Peru
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Yellow to golden brown, metallic lustre
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5

Quartz: rose quartz, smoky quartz, white quartz, rutile quartz, strawberry quartz
Family: Quartz
Occurrence: Worldwide
Clarity: Transparent to opaque
Color: Colorless, pink, pale pink, pale beige, black, brown, brown
Hardness: 7

Rhodochrosite
Family: Rhodocrosite
Occurrence: Argentina, United States, Peru
Clarity: Essentially opaque
Color: Pale pink, deep pink, light pink
Hardness: 4

Rhodonite
Family: Pyroxenoid
Occurrence: South Africa, Australia, Canada, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, Sweden Canada, Argentina
Clarity: Transparent, translucent, opaque
Color: Pink with black inclusions
Hardness: Between 5.5 and 6.5

Rubellite
Family: Tourmalines
Occurrence: Afghanistan, Angola, Australia, Burma, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rhodesia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, USA
Transparency: Transparent
Color: Intense red to pink, with shades of violet.
Hardness: Between 7 and 7.5

Zoïsite ruby
Family: Zoïsite
Deposits : Austria, Burma, USA, Kenya, Sri-Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Zambia
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Green, black, red, violet, raspberry, brick pink, light green
Hardness: 9 for ruby and between 6 and 6.5 for zoïsite

Serpentine
Family: Quartz
Occurrence: Throughout the world
Transparency: Translucent, opaque
Color: Green to ochre
Hardness: Between 2.5 and 4

Sodalite
Family: Feldspathoid
Occurrence: Afghanistan, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, United States, France, Greenland, India, Italy, Pakistan, Africa, Bahia
Transparency: Transparent, translucent, opaque
Color: Azure blue, white, gray, pink, violet
Hardness: Between 5.5 and 6

Black Spinel
Family: Spinels
Deposit : Afghanistan, Burma, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Black
Hardness: 8

Thulite
Family: Zoisite
Deposit: Norway, Iceland, Namibia, Austria
Transparency: Translucent to opaque
Color: Pale pink to bright pink
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5

Tricolor tourmaline
Family: Tourmalines
Occurrence : Afghanistan, Angola, Australia, Burma, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rhodesia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States, Africa
Transparency: Transparent
Color: Colorless, green, pink, red, ochre, brown, blue, black, multicolored
Hardness: Between 7 and 7.5

Turquoise
Family: Turquoise
Occurrence : Afghanistan, Australia, China, France, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Tanzania, Tibet, USA
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Blue, azure
Hardness: Between 5 and 6

Unakite
Family: Granite / Jasper
Deposit : Austria, United States, Mexico, Mozambique, Norway, South Africa, Russia
Transparency: Opaque
Color: Yellow green to dark green, white, brown, pink
Hardness: Between 6 and 7

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Zoïsite
Family: Zoïsite
Occurrence: Austria, United States, Kenya, Switzerland, Tanzania
Transparency: Opaque to transparent
Color: Green, black, red, violet
Hardness: Between 6 and 6.5